Chapter 125: Decision to Expedition to the West

"Your Majesty, the non-ministers don't know that this matter is very important, and the Qing army has the intention of provocation, and if they don't refuse it, they may be in serious trouble. However, the imperial court's finances were stretched thin, and it had already supported the Korean battlefield, and it had to be on guard against the Qing army to the south at any time. Last year's bank deposit has long been exhausted, and this year's national debt will be extended. There was really not a single penny to sustain the war on the west. In the opinion of the ministers, the war on the Western Front should be based on defense. ordered the generals and vassals not to send troops. Zhang Zhen said.

Yuan Shizhong frowned and said, "In this way, the prestige of the country has been swept away. Why do you command the world? And Li Dingguo, the king of Yunnan, is a famous general in the world. Wu Sangui is far from it. ”

"Chen Gu knew that the king of Dian was a famous general, but he did not think about victory before defeat, and the stalemate in the Korean war was unresolved, and he was consuming a thousand gold every day. Up and down the Yangtze River. Xinyang, the land of Nanyang, the confrontation of the army cannot be moved lightly. The southwest mountains are difficult and dangerous, which is conducive to defense and not conducive to attack. If you can keep it with peace of mind, it will be foolproof. Talking lightly is not a small victory. In the event of a big defeat, South West Africa I have. The enemy is condescending. Tiger eye lake wide. If the Qing army presses the border in the north, I am afraid that there will be something unbearable. Zhang Zhen said with a serious face.

"If Your Majesty has to move troops to the southwest, please call off the Korean War. Specializing in the Southwest. ”

Yuan Shizhong listened, snorted coldly, and said, "Alarmist. But he didn't go on.

Zhang Xuan understood.

Yuan Shizhong knew that although what Zhang Zhen said was alarmist, Xiao Ban was still telling the truth? The distribution of the imperial court's troops, with the Yangtze River and Henan as the priority, and the troops in the southwest have been shrinking because of the Great Western Army. Zhang Xianzhong's old department was transferred out, and the imperial court descendants were transferred in. In this way, although the old department of the Great West Monarch is not in danger of rebellion. It was in the midst of military reform that it did not taste the sweetness.

Zhang Xuan believed in Li Dingguo. But the meaning of strong and weak branches is also obvious. In this year or two, the other armies. There are many reinforcements. or deploy officers. or strengthen weapons. Only the Dian army was quiet, and its strength did not improve much. It is no problem to use it to defend against the mountains.

But how is it when it is used to beat Wu Sangui? There is no bottom in the center of Yuan Shi. Similarly, Zhang Xuan was not convinced.

He knew very well if he didn't want to go on a rampage. The size of the army that supports it today, coupled with the Korean War, is already very tight.

Once there is a major change in the southwest and it affects the recuperation and recuperation of the hinterland, it will not be good. So he couldn't make a decision for a while.

Flickered a person probing from the outside. It's none other than Zheng Lian. Zheng Lian, as a political envoy, naturally knows the severity. It won't easily disturb the inside discussions. There must be a reason for coming over this time.

Without waiting for Zhang Xuan to ask, Zheng Lian had already handed a letter to Li Fuguo, who held it in both hands, went around the back, and handed it to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan stretched out his hand to take it, and a look of anger on his face skimmed, and then retracted. Disappear without a trace

Tracks. He did not speak, but put the letter in his hand. It was handed to the people below.

Zhang Zhen took a look at it, and his heart suddenly understood. I'm afraid it's impossible to keep the army guarded.

This letter. It was Wu Sangui's handwritten letter. There were no threatening words in it. Even the tone is very humble. It seems to have been written by Zhang Xuan's subordinates.

However, the tone is humble, but the content in it is not humble at all.

Look at the meaning between Wu Sangui's words. This war is just a meaning, just a play for the Qing court, during the war, all business is the same, then the same is true of the horse business.

But this behavior of Wu Sangui. Didn't say hello to this side. The tone seems to be humble, but in fact it has a sense of notification. There is nothing more important than that.

Fundamentally, he didn't see Daxia in his eyes.

And does Wu Sangui believe whatever he says? I don't know that this letter is a smokescreen. The so-called virtual and real, real and virtual.

From Wu Sangui's letter, there are too many things that can be figured out. The most important thing is Zhang Qian, who feels that Zhang Xuan has acted too smoothly in the past two years.

There is some high heart qi.

And it's not just Zhang Xuan's high spirit. Many of the generals in the Xia army were not low-spirited.

"Wu Sangui is too presumptuous, if you don't teach him a hard lesson, I'm afraid it will be a big trouble in the west in the future." Yuan Shizhong said: "If this thief is allowed to be like this today, how will he take the court in his eyes in the future?" ”

"He is afraid of the east, but he is not afraid of the court, do you think that the court can't clean him up?"

"Even if it is for the prestige of the imperial court, he cannot be allowed to do so."

"Your Majesty, please be ordered to go west for Shuai."

Zhang Zhi said; "King Wei laughed, not to mention that King Wei still needs to sit in the Privy Council, just to say that now the Qing army is frequently dispatched, and the army on the northern front cannot be mobilized. Even if King Wei wants to go west. Where is this army drawn from? ”

"What Zhang Ge said is right. King Wei really couldn't move. It's just that there is a plan for the worst in everything, after all, it's good. Wu Sangui should not be underestimated. Zhang Xuan said: "How much grain can the DPRK and China prepare?" Can I give a quasi-number? ”

That's it. Everyone knows below that Zhang Xuan has already made a decision.

The reason is simple. If it's just defense, now Yungui's strength is enough. There is no need to draw grain and grass from the rear.

Although Yungui is a barren land, since Zhang Xuan ascended the throne, he has never drawn grain and grass from Yungui, and even added more.

When Sun Kewang ran Yunnan, he also had a lot of family background. Saving, but enough.

When Zhang Xuan mentioned the matter of money and grain, he had already explained that he had decided to send troops to Yunnan.

"Your Majesty, why don't you wait for the King of Dian to play it." Zhang Zhen said: "In this matter, we must know how the King of Dian thinks, so that we can do it."

Make a final decision. ”

Zhang Xuan said: "Don't worry, I can't control it, it's just that Wu Sangui is so arrogant, if this dynasty doesn't return the color, wouldn't it make the world light on this dynasty?" ”

"How to fight is the business of the King of Dian, but whether or not it can be fought is my business, I decided to order, so that the King of Dian will lead the town of Chóng Qìng, ** West, Wu Sangui will fight, and he will have full authority to dispose of it."

"Your Majesty, the King of Dian is sparse." Zheng Lian, who had gone and returned, appeared on the ceremony again, knelt in front of Zhang Xuan, raised the letter in his hand, and said.

Zhang Xuan immediately took this letter and took a look, those superficial articles, hurriedly skimmed it, and saw a line of words at the end of this note, but it was: "Yungui's son, you can fight a battle." ”

Zhang Xuan suddenly smiled and said: "The King of Dian and I think a little bit the same, so it can be seen that we can fight." ”

This recital was passed on, and everyone couldn't refute it, so they could only say: "Your Majesty has seen thousands of miles. ”

Zhang Xuan was also a little happy, to be honest, although he had been in Guizhou, the actual situation in Yungui was not as familiar as Li Dingguo, and Zhang Xuan still trusted Li Dingguo's ability.

If Li Dingguo says that it will work, it will definitely work.

If Li Dingguo objected, Zhang Xuan could only accept even if he had any ideas.

Zhang Xuan said: "Yao Qing, can you give me a total." ”

Yao Qisheng said: "Now the only thing that can be mobilized is only 300,000 yuan, which still withholds the silver money for building the palace, if this war drags on until after May, then the spring tax will come down, probably able to support an extra one million taels, plus other piecemeal work, two million taels, before this autumn, two million taels, it is impossible to be more." ”

Zhang Xuan frowned a little when he heard this.

In the battle to attack Taiwan, less than three million taels were consumed, which is still the reason why the Zheng family spent a lot of money, after all, there were not many people and horses used, but the southwest mobilized troops were different.

First of all, in this big war, the two sides used hundreds of thousands of people, which far exceeded the battle of attacking Taiwan, coupled with the rugged mountain roads, it was difficult to transfer the army.

This is the most expensive part of this war.

It was not a war, not a pension, not an ordnance, but a large amount of grain, grass, ordnance, and materials from Hunan to Guizhou.

The wear and tear inside is so great that sometimes five out of ten may not be able to tell.

So two million taels, although I don't say it, but the peace plan is not enough. Ten million taels may be about the same.

This is the reason why Zhang Zhen is bent on opposing it.

"Can't you have more money?" Zhang Xuan asked without giving up.

"Your Majesty, the ministers at the foundry are staring at it day by day, and almost every extra money and interest has been sent to the North Korean military spending, and now the foundation of this dynasty is weak, and it will definitely not be able to support a two-sided war." Yao Qisheng said: "Please think about it, Your Majesty? ”